80% of people aged 55+ willing to ask doctor about medicinal cannabis, new survey by Rehab 4 Addiction reveals

A survey by Rehab 4 Addiction reveals how 55+-year-olds feel about the legalisation of medicinal cannabis in the UK

Posted:23 October 2018

A survey by Rehab 4 Addiction using Facebook reveals more than 80% of people aged 55+ are contemplating asking their doctor about medicinal cannabis following the upcoming the change that’s due to kick in next week (1st November 2018). It’s thus likely that the use of medicinal cannabis could become much more widespread than was initially anticipated.

Of those surveyed, almost 100% said they would consider asking their doctor if they had a serious health condition that responded to cannabis.

The survey also sought to determine the specific health reasons that would compel those surveyed to seek out medicinal cannabis. This is perhaps where the results of this survey are most interesting. A massive 29% of people surveyed said they would enquire about medicinal cannabis to help treat sleeping problems. Other common health concerns were chronic pain and arthritis.

84% of those surveyed said they strongly agreed cannabis could be a more effective way of treating pain than conventional prescription medications. In the questions that followed, it became apparent that many people would prefer to take a naturally grown medication rather than a man-made medication.

Interestingly, only 31% of those surveyed supported the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use, so there is clearly much less support compared to using cannabis for medical purposes.

Some of the highlights of this survey include:

A massive 80% of people said they would take advantage of the change in the law

Almost 100% of people said they would consider asking their doctor if they had a serious health condition that responded to cannabis

29% of people said they would use cannabis to treat sleeping problems. This could mean a lot more people request to be prescribed cannabis that what was expected

84% of those surveyed said they strongly agreed with cannabis being made legal for medical purposes

Interestingly, only 31% said they agreed with cannabis being made legal for recreational purposes, so there is clearly much less support compared to using cannabis for medical purposes

69% of people strongly agreed cannabis could be more effective than more conventional prescription pain medications

“It’s clear that the vast majority of those who are likely to benefit from medicinal cannabis are at least willing to give it try. For too long, the Government has ignored the advice given to it by its own professional advisors, and this change in the law is well-overdue,” said Oliver Clark, CEO of Rehab 4 Addiction.

Oliver continues, “but it’s equally clear the public mood isn’t strictly in favour of legalising cannabis for recreational purposes. It’s unlikely we will see a repeat of what’s just happened in Canada over in the UK any time soon."